Genomics-Assisted Crop Improvement: Vol 1: Genomics Approaches and Platforms
Publisher: Springer | Language: English | ISBN:140206294X | 386 pages | Data: 2007 | PDF | 5 Mb


Description: Ever since the advent of modern crop improvement, breeders have dreamed of applying marker-based selection in their populations. Morphological markers have long been known but are too few to be of any use. Protein markers, e.g. isozymes, are not of much use either also due to their paucity, while RFLPs are expensive and cumbersome to use. Advances in genomics have given us microsatellite and SNP markers in such high number that molecular marker technology for crop improvement and eventually for human welfare has become a reality. These advances in genomics are reviewed in this valuable two-volume set. The editors are to be commended for their labor of love for compiling such a huge volume of information on crop genomics. Gurdev S. Khush FRS, member NAS, Former Principal Plant Breeder, International Rice Research Institute. The success of crop improvement has come through the willingness and ability of breeders and researchers to develop and apply new strategies and technologies. The development of molecular tools for tracking genes paved the way for the introduction of marker-assisted selection to monitor individual loci and optimise allele deployment. The advent of the new techniques of genomics is starting to unravel the behaviour of the whole genome and is paving the way to genome-wide breeding where multiple regions are tracked and complex traits can be manipulated more effectively. These two volumes cover both the techniques and the applications of genomics as seen from the perspective of breeders and molecular biologists. They also present a broad and updated view of the area and provide a reference point that will be an invaluable resource to crop geneticists and breeders for both research and crop improvement. Peter Langridge, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics. Genomics research has great potential to revolutionize the discipline of plant breeding in order to realize the future needs of an ever growing human population. Several high-throughput approaches, genomics platforms and strategies are currently available for applying genomics to crop breeding. However, high costs invested in/associated with genomics research currently limit the implementation of genomics-assisted crop improvement, especially for inbreeding and/or minor crops. The volume Genomics-Assisted Crop Improvement provides a critical assessment of genomics tools and approaches for crop breeding. Volume 1 entitled Genomics Approaches and Platforms presents the status and availability of genomic resources and genomics platforms and also devises the strategies and approaches for effectively exploiting genomics research for crop improvement. Volume 2 entitled Genomics Applications in Crops presents a number of case studies of several important crop and plant species that summarize both the achievements and limitations of genomics research for crop improvement. We hope that this effort will help those working in crop genomics as well as conventional plant breeding to focus their research plans for crop improvement programmes. The book will also help graduate students and teachers to develop a better understanding of this important aspect of modern plant science research.
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